Christian Life Archives - Page 2 of 8 - Directed Path Ministries

Godly Men pt. 1

September 18, 2014 By bwatson 1 Comment

This post was originally published Sept. 22, 2009.

Matthew 11:12 (AMP)
¹²And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize—a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].

We live in a day that has attempted to blur if not erase gender differences. Our society is teaching us today that there should not be any noticeable distinctions between men and women, except maybe the obvious physical ones and even those are now being blurred. We are being taught that the violence in our society is caused by little boys playing war games and fighting or “shooting” one another. Parents are encouraged to help their boys be gentler and not so rough. Have you ever noticed that boys are drawn to guns, swords, knives, bombs and the like? Do you think they were taught that or is it something that is inherently given to them? I remember as a small child, I loved to dress up like a cowboy with my six-shooter on my hip. My mom would try to keep me out of the trees with my holster on, most of the time with no avail. The other boys in the neighborhood would come over and we would throw those green china berries at each other or at any girl that would walk past. At elementary school the boys would always gain up together and harass the girls in whatever they were doing. Were we just mean? Maybe. We were just being boys and doing what boys did.

Think with me for a few moments. Who are some of the movie heroes? How about John Wayne, James Dean, Sean Connery or Clint Eastwood? What made James Arness as Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke so popular? OK, now I am showing my age. New actors would have to include Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, or Bruce Willis in Die Hard. How about Mel Gibson in BraveHeart or Vin Diesel in Fast and Furious? Even Tom Hanks has played in roles that would qualify as being a hero (Saving Private Ryan and Castaway). What made these roles and men qualify as heroes? Some of these men have been considered to be very attractive to women, even deemed sexy. Why? They were MEN!!! They were not pansies or momma’s boys. They loved adventure. They loved to fight. And they always got the girl. Every boy growing up has those same desires. Getting the girl comes later than the other two.

What happens to those characteristics in men? Our jobs take the adventure from us. Corporate etiquette takes the fight from us. Therefore we get lazy and lose our masculinity. Maybe not all of us, but many of us do. Look at the American church today, it is filled with men who feel out of place or they are completely bored. We are teaching men how to be sensitive, how to get in touch with their inner feelings or their feminine sides. Did God give Adam a feminine side? What about the heroes of the Bible? Name some… Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Elijah, David, and Daniel from the Old Testament, just to name a few. The New Testament heroes would have to include John the Baptist, Peter, John, James and Paul and of course you have to name Jesus as He is the hero of all heroes. Do you see any femininity in these men? I don’t think so. I see adventure, the desire to fight, and many wilderness experiences. Moses spent 40 years in the palace, 40 years in the wilderness, and then 40 years being the leader God created him to be. Jacob fought with the angel of the Lord, where? In the wilderness. Caleb at the age of 80 wanted to take his hill that was promised to him years prior. Elijah looked like a mountain man as did John the Baptist. John and his older brother James were called the Sons of Thunder. One author said they would have had on leather jackets and racing stripes on their camels. Today they would be in a motorcycle gang, according to the same author. These men that are noted were true men of God. They had their sense of adventure and willing to fight for the kingdom of God.

Are we willing to fight for the kingdom of God? Is our relationship with God an adventure? Or is it dull and boring? The Christian man needs to learn to live his life for God with all the adventure that is in his heart. Men need to stand up and be men.

Thoughts are generated from reading Wild at Heart.

Bradley D. Watson, BCBT

Directed Path Ministries

After spending more than 25 years on church staffs, God has allowed me to take the experiences and knowledge that I gained to develop a Biblical Counseling ministry. The basis of this ministry is to allow God’s Word to shine on the main issues in peoples’ lives in order to bring His resolutions to problems.

Providing Hope in Troubled Times

3 Keys to Spiritual Intimacy

September 12, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

“Man is not an island.” This quotation is actually from John Donne in 1624. It is a part of Meditation XVII which also says “…for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” The meaning of the quote “Man is not an island” is that man does not thrive on his own; he needs relationships and community in order to reach his total potential. Donne was a Christian author even though several religions have adopted this thought. The relationship that is needed the most is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

The second most important relationship is with a wife. I believe this principle is taught in Genesis 2. Adam was created and had a perfect relationship with God. He had the opportunity to walk and talk with God daily. God trusted Adam to name the animals in the garden and to take care of the plants as well as the animals. As God is reviewing all that is happening in the Garden of Eden, He states that “it is not good than Man is alone.” Now Adam was sinless at this time. He had complete freedom to do his job of keeping the Garden. He had God’s full attention at all times. Yet, God said something was “not good.” Man was alone!! God then created Eve to be Adam’s wife and God said that it was very good. This story tells me that these two relationships are important to the well being of Man. I do believe that the relationship with God through Christ is the most important of all relationships. But second only to this relationship is marriage. Since these two relationships are foundational to Man, then they should intermingle. Yes, you can be a Christian and be single. Yes, you can be married and not be a Christian. But I believe if you want the most fulfilling marriage possible, then your relationship with God must impact your marriage.

How do we get to this place in our marriage? I would like to share with you three keys that will help God be the center of your marriage.

Pray Together. Praying together connects our innermost thoughts and emotions at the deepest places of our souls. Prayer is communication with God, The Father. We not only talk to Him, but we also listen to Him. He chooses our prayer lives to speak to our souls. We must be willing to listen as well as speak to God. Praying with your spouse brings him/her into your spirit person. The connection is “heavenly.” God speaks to you together which confirms your relationship.
Study the Bible Together. Our spiritual growth is encouraged and nurtured through Bible Study. Understanding the Word of God is important to knowing the Person of God as well as His purpose for our lives. Studying together helps us develop spiritually together. I have met with many couples where one spouse studies the Bible and has a deeper relationship with God than the other spouse. When this happens, there is a disconnect that leads to discontentment within the marriage. We want our relationship to be growing together, not separately. Many Christian counselors have described marriage as an isosceles triangle which means 3 equal angles and 3 equal sides. The closer you get to God, the closer you get together.
Serve God Together. As a couple, we need to serve God together. Some of the most meaningful events I have been a part of are the ones in which my wife was also a part. As a minister, that has not always been the case. I have had the opportunity to go to camps or on mission trips while my wife stayed home with our children or to go to work. Those events were OK, but I’m not sure any of them were life changing. Now the events that we were able to participate together in have been life changing. I know that I feel complete when she is with me for ministry.

These three keys to connect spiritually will open the doors to the deepest intimacy that you can ever experience. Our spiritual intimacy leads to better emotional intimacy which leads to better relational intimacy which leads to better physical intimacy. Every couple that wants to have a fulfilled marriage is seeking more intimacy. Our spiritual connection as a couple will ensure that our intimacy will grow.

Have you noticed your relationship has grown as you have prayed together? What else have you noticed that will help your spiritual connection to grow?

Bradley D. Watson, BCBT

Directed Path Ministries

Providing Hope for Troubled Times

Trusting God in the Difficult Times

September 4, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

This post was originally posted Feb. 18, 2010.

Romans 8:28-29 (NASB)
²⁸ And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
²⁹ For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

I have used these verses in counseling for a very long time. I understand that it is easier for me to direct people to these verses in my office than it is to actually live with that same confidence. I am watching several situations at the present time wondering what in the world is God doing here. Maybe that is the wrong question. The right question might be “What in heaven is God doing here?” Just saying my focus might be off.

I know that I do not have to understand what God is doing…I have to trust Him and trust that He is too loving to hurt anyone and too wise to make a mistake. A former pastor of mine has made that statement for years and so I just borrowed it from him.

I will be honest with you today that I do not totally understand the reasoning behind much of what God does. I do not know why He allows people to make the decisions that they make that have such an effect on other people’s lives. I do not know why He does not make His way more clear and remove so much of our personal interpretations of His Word, which creates differences in denominations and even within churches. I do not know why one person believes that God has put a family together and another would believe that it is the right thing to do to leave that union. I know that each one of us is a priest, therefore we can speak to God directly and He speaks to us as well.

As I write this today, I want to focus on what I do know. I know that God wants to have an intimate relationship with each one of us. He is at work in our lives to draw us closer to Him and cause us to trust Him more and more each day. I know that God does not do anything that does not bring Him glory for all eternity. Also, He wants us to give Him glory through our lives daily. I know that we were created to worship God in all that we do. I also know that Satan, along with his imps of Hell, wants us to falter in our lives as much as possible. I know that Satan has spent all of his time fighting against the glory of God and will not stop until God totally stops him in the end. I know that God is bigger and stronger than Satan will ever be. I also know that God is with me going through the circumstances I face daily.

There are so many more things that could be listed in the previous paragraph. God tells us to know Him. He wants us to totally experience Him, like we experience our spouse. He loves us beyond our own imagination and He wants to show Himself in all of what is happening around us.

The question at this point has to be “do you know God like this?” Do you have difficulty with the fact that everything here on earth is not easy all the time? Does God meet your expectations? I have had to change my expectations to fit God’s Word. How about you?

Bradley D. Watson, BCBT

Directed Path Ministries

Helping Others Using God’s Principles

Getting Off the Merry-Go-Round

August 28, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

In the spirit of Throw-Back-Thursday, I thought I would repost my most viewed blog. Originally posted Aug. 20, 2012

Ephesians 5:31-33

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

³¹ For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. ³²This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. ³³Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she^[a] respects her husband.

When a couple comes into my office the very first time, I usually ask each person what the problem in their marriage is according to their opinion. Many times one or both individuals will answer with “if my spouse would change, we would be fine.” I always chuckle at remarks such as this because we as people are always quick to blame someone else so we do not have to focus on our own behavior. Even after explaining that each person in the marriage plays a role in the harmony as well as the conflict, I have had several continue to insist that the problem in the other person in the relationship.

Today, I would like to share with you that an attitude like that is most likely the main problem in the conflict. You see, when a person is unwilling to examine his/her own life and own behavior, change will not occur which means that the conflict will just be a merry-go-round with some ups and downs but always end up at the same place. I don’t know about you but merry-go-rounds are not my favorite rides at the carnival. Matter of fact, I have not been on one at the carnival or fair in about 20 years when my children needed me to ride with them.

So how do you get off the merry-go-round in your marriage and begin moving toward the common goal of a harmonious relationship that is fulfilling for each person involved?

Here are several things that need to be addressed.

You have to take your eyes off your spouse’s behavior. When you are focused on your spouse’s behavior, you cannot look at yourself and the role you are supposed to play. You see, the Bible gives each the husband and the wife a role to play. There has to be a balance between the two for the relationship to work properly. (Now if your spouse is being abusive or committing adultery, that is another subject all together. This discussion is for those conflicts that occur in most relationships.)
You need to ask the question “What am I doing wrong?” As I have already stated that each person plays a role in the conflict as well as the cooperation. Are there areas of relationship that you could be doing things differently or better? Are you being selfish in some of your thinking? Are you more concerned about your needs than the needs of your spouse? All of these questions need to be answered. If any of them are answered “yes” then you have some work to do on your own behavior.
You need to ask the question “What am I doing right?” You might be confused with this question. Sometimes a person loses sight of what is good in his/her behavior. Many individuals believe the lie that he/she is the total problem in the marriage, which is not the case. (Again, we are not dealing with adultery or abuse here.)
You need to remember you are on the same team. Your spouse is not the enemy. Satan loves to bring conflict into marriages. He uses whatever means he can to separate the union that God has brought together, even if that means creating disharmony through friction. A husband and wife are to be one in spirit as well as flesh. If a couple does not remember this, the clash of the two will bring a chasm that is difficult to overcome.

When your favorite football team takes the field in a couple of weeks, I want to encourage you to notice if the offense is blaming the defense for the mistakes being made or for the losses incurred. Maybe the defense is blaming the offense for the losses. Which ever the case, that team is in trouble!! But, if when a team loses, everyone begins talking about the changes they need to make and they win as a team and lose as a team, there is hope for that team to improve. The same is true for your team of being a husband and wife. If you can identify what you are doing wrong and what you need to work on and allow your spouse to do the same, your marriage can be a winning marriage moving in the right direction of bringing God glory and you fulfillment.

Bradley D. Watson, BCBT

Directed Path Ministries

Helping Others Using God’s Principles

Are You Angry? These Steps Can Help

August 20, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

Anger seems to be a nation-wide problem. If a person watches the evening news or reads the paper, he will see the effects that anger has on our society. Violent crime seems to be on the rise. Shootings in schools and other public places are becoming more and more common. Domestic Violence has become an epidemic. Ugly divorces and child custody suits are common place today. These examples are just the most visible examples of anger controlling people. Other effects of anger can be seen in the health industry as doctors are prescribing more and more antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. Stress is one of the top health issues that affects the work place. Each one of these cases show the effects that anger has on our society. Are you angry? Do you want help to manage your anger? Here are a few suggestions that can help.

Know that the emotion of anger is not a sin. God shows His anger several times in the Old Testament, especially during the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Jesus was angry when He cleansed the temple of the money changers, not once but twice.(John 2:14 & Matt. 21:12) AS James 1:13 points out, God can’t even be tempted much less sin. James 1:13 (NLT) ^13 ‘And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong,* and he never tempts anyone else.’ If God and Jesus, who are sinless, show anger, then the emotion by itself cannot be sin.

Understand the roots of anger.

Fear: When we are fearful and worry about what might happen in the future, we can respond in anger. Fear deals with the unknown mostly. This type of fear is closely tied to worry and anxiety. Paul writes that we are not to worry or be anxious in Phil. 4:6.
Hurt: When we have unresolved hurt and pain from earlier in our lives, that pain can manifest itself into anger. A person that we love can do something that reminds us of the past and we lash out in anger.
Frustration: This category contains several different types of emotions. Guilt is one. When we feel guilty of our own wrong doing, we get angry to take the focus off of ourselves and place it on the other person. Control is another. If we feel out of control, we want to regain that control and we do that by being intimidating or angry. As one man puts it, “I Hulk Out!” Inadequacy if another emotion connected to frustration. If we feel that we are incapable of doing something, we might lash out in anger instead of admitting our shortcomings.

Learn the physical signs of your anger. Our bodies release adrenalin when we begin to get angry. Our blood pressure begins to rise. Our face turns red. Our hearts begin to pump harder and faster. Our breathing can become more shallow. These are just a few outward symptoms of anger. Learn yours.

Make an anger plan. Having a plan of action when anger begins to arise will help you in managing how angry you actually will get.

Take a time out. Remove yourself from the situation if at all possible. This step is not to get you to ignore the situation, but it will allow you to think about it before you react.
Take deep breaths. Breathing deeply helps calm you down so that the emotion is not controlling you.
Own your anger. Realize that you are choosing to be angry at that time. No one can control your emotions but you (with God’s help), therefore no one is making you mad. You are choosing to be mad in a reaction to what someone is doing.
Share the reason for your anger. Do this in a way that is easy for the other person to hear. Use “I” statements, not “You” statements. Talk about your root cause for the anger. DO NOT BLAME the other person.

These steps can help you learn to manage your anger. Anger can be very destructive when it is left unchecked. God gave us the ability to have anger for the purpose of bringing about change. When used properly, our relationships will grow and flourish.

What are some positive steps you take when you are angry? Share them in the comment section below.

Bradley D. Watson, BCBT

Directed Path Ministries

Helping Others Using God’s Principles

Patience or worry, you decide.

June 27, 2014 By Caleb Watson Leave a Comment

My dad wrote a blog recently talking about the anticipation of God doing something miraculous in our lives and brought up the story of Lazarus.
I want to talk about something that He has been working on in my life that goes along side of anticipation.

Patience.

We’ve all heard that patience is a virtue. We all know that patience is a gift of the Holy Spirit. But how often do we know that God is doing something and we get impatient with God.

Why aren’t you doing anything!? You know what’s going on! Do something! I wish God would hurry up and do something. Don’t you care?

It tells a lot about ones faith when this comes up.

On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:35-41 NASB)

When Jesus leads us into seasons of uncertainty in our lives, do we trust Him with anticipation or do we fear the storm in our worry?

The disciples had to learn that a bigger storm was coming. One that they couldn’t handle on their own. They had to know that Jesus can calm the storm and that they can wait with anticipation as to what Jesus is going to do in their lives.

Can we learn this lesson from their example or do we need to learn it the hard way?

Antici………pation!

June 25, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

Anticipation:

1. the act of anticipating or the state of being anticipated.

2. realization in advance; foretaste.

3. expectation or hope.

4. previous notion; slight previous impression.

5. intuition, foreknowledge, or prescience.

Anticipation is a wonderful feeling but there are times that it carries some idea of fear. As I am writing this today, I think about some of the times that I have felt the emotion of anticipation the most in my life. I remember some of the Christmases as a small boy always wondering what would be in the packages all wrapped in festive paper with bows on them. I, along with my sisters, would sit and guess what was in the ones with our names on them. Those are some fond memories of anticipating the big day that we would get to open the gifts and see if we were right or if the surprise would be even better.

I remember the days leading up to my wedding and anticipating the journey that was in front of me called “married life.” I remember being nervous and yet excited all at the same time. I had questions so many questions that were unanswered by anyone and yet the anticipation was driving me to continue on the journey in front of me.I remember the birth of my children and the anticipation that was all around those days. Wondering when my wife would go into labor…Wondering if I would be a good dad…Wondering if my kids would be healthy…Wondering how my life was going to change…What Great Anticipation!!

Many of the emotions that I felt on each of those occasions and many more like them are the emotions I am experiencing now. Over the past several weeks I have been on a adventure with God in which He has been stripping things away in my life that were being an hinderance to my relationship with Him. He has led me to be more diligent in so many areas of my life. He is changing my thought patterns. He is changing my ideas and ideals about ministry. He is changing my desires along with my values. He is bringing me to a place that I feel stripped down in front of Him and He is asking me “Am I enough?”

Many times in scripture before God does something that only He can do, He causes people to see their own inadequacies just so they will recognize God as the author of what is happening. I have been thinking about the disciples as they were with Jesus in John 11. Jesus was told his friend Lazarus was sick. So instead of getting up to go to Bethany, Jesus stayed where He was for two days. He told the disciples that Lazarus’ illness was for the glory of God. This is where I begin to add my thoughts about what the disciples were thinking at this time. When Jesus said it was time to go to Judea, His followers began to question what He was doing. Jesus tried to share with them what He was going to do, but no one understood. As they journeyed to the town of Bethany, can you imagine the anticipation of what was next? They were afraid of the Jewish leaders and therefore, afraid that they might die. They loved Jesus and believed that Jesus was going to do something special, but they had no idea of what it was going to be. Even up to the point of Jesus telling Mary and Martha that He was the Resurrection, no one understood He was about the resurrect Lazarus. He had been dead for four days…Martha said that there would be a stench…Could Jesus really do something with a dead man?

You know the end of this story. Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave and he lived again. Was what Jesus did on that day greater than what anyone else thought He could do? Was there an excitement that followed this wonderful miracle? Of course to both of these questions!!!

You see anticipation carries with it expectation of something special happening. It also carries with it fear of change. I have both today. Am I ready to see the miracle today? Am I prepared for the work that God is going to do so that He gets the glory?

What an anticipation of what God is going to do!!!! Do you feel it? Are you ready?

I would love to hear your thoughts today.

Does God Answer Prayer with Sin?

January 27, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

A young couple had been married for several years and they had reached a point that they were not satisfies in their marriage. Something was missing. They had children, owned their house, and drove fairly nice cars. Each had jobs that kept them busy and then they chased kids during the evening. They had very full lives but still there was something missing!! The wife began to pray about having a better husband. See, her husband said he was a Christian, but each Sunday he chose to stay home rather than go to church. He worked most Saturdays and so Sunday was the only day he could sleep in or do whatever “he wanted to do.” This attitude left his wife wanting more in the relationship. The husband would argue with her that he was working so much to provide for her needs as well as the kids needs. Those arguments still left her wanting more. He would just get angry and go out to the shop or work in the yard. He was a good dad, most of the time. He went to the kids events, when he could. He helped around the house, he thought. He was a good provider and that should be enough. The wife continued to pray for a better husband. One day she was talking with a man at her work. He was married and faithful to church. She started thinking that she wanted a husband like this man, which the more they talked she decided she wanted this man. What she didn’t realize was that he too was going through some struggles at home and he was looking for more. She began to believe that this was God’s will for them both to divorce their spouses and marry each other.

I could go on with this story. Many of you have heard it before or even could write a better version. I begin with this story today in order to address a question that I believe many Christians have answered incorrectly…Does God answer our prayers with sin? Your immediate response to this question should be a resounding “NO,” yet the scenario mentioned above is far too common in the church. Why do we even consider such a thing as God answering our prayers with an answer that leads us to sin? Here are a few suggestions as to why.

People have the wrong idea of God. We understand that God is loving, merciful, and full of grace. We concentrate on those aspects of God. (I am very thankful for the grace and mercy He shows me daily.) We forget that God is equally as just, holy, and righteous. We also do not wrong to think about the wrath of God. We have put God in a box that mostly reflects what we would like in a god. We do not see God as who He really is.
People are selfish. I know that this is an obvious statement. We allow our selfishness to control our thoughts and our actions. In our selfishness, we are also impatient when it comes to waiting on God to answer our prayers in His timing. When we pray for God to change someone or our circumstances, we must allow Him to do His work. Sometimes, God does things immediately while other times He works methodically which takes time.
People have their own idea of how the prayer is to be answered. When we pray, do we want God’s solution or do we want God to bless our solution? I know that Psalmist says that “God will give us the desires of our hearts.” What people fail to realize is that there are conditions to that promise. “Delight yourself in the Lord,” “Commit your way to the Lord,” and “Trust in Him” are the three conditions to the promise. (Psalms 37:4-5) When we are willing to follow the conditions, He is willing to give us the desires of our heart. Not before.

The Bible says in James 1:13b “and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” God has never tempted anyone to sin. He would not answer a prayer with a sin. When someone tells you that God has told them to do something that is sin, don’t believe them. God will not and does not go against His Word at any time. It is important that as we walk on our journey with God that we consider that God is wanting our lives to give Him glory and show His character to others. We cannot do that if we give God credit for the sin in our lives.

Finding Hope

January 23, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

Psalm 31:24 (NASB95)

24 Be strong and let your heart take courage,

All you who hope in the Lord.

Romans 15:13 (NASB95)

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Recently I was talking with a man who had lost all hope for a future. As I was listening to his blight, I began to feel his hopelessness. Boy, I did not like that at all. It just seemed the world was getting gloomier and gloomier. As I was listening to him, I had to mentally picture the “Son” shining in my life. My conversation with this man reminded me that so many people have lost sight of the Hope that is in Christ.

When a person has lost their hope, there are several steps that I have found to be very helpful when needing to “find my hope.”

Remember — The Israelites were instructed to erect stones in the middle of the Jordan River as they crossed over into the Promised Land. The purpose of the stones was for the people to see them (not during the flood stage) and be reminded of what God had done for them. I think that a person needs to set up some “stones” of what God has done in his/her life for times of remembering. Writing them in a journal or in the back of a Bible helps keep them in a place that will be seen.
Repent — Again, using the Old Testament as a guide, the Israelites often would lose sight of God and turn to idols or their own wisdom. Each time they took their focus off of God, He would allow calamities, bondage, and defeat to happen. When they would turn back to God, He would require of them to Repent. Repentance happens when a person realizes that he/she is going in the wrong direction and turns around to go in the opposite direction. Repentance carries an attitude of brokenness and humility. If hope is lost, it might be because the focus is on worry or on loss and not on God. Repentance is needed.
Recite — The Israelites were told to recite the book of the law and to meditate on it. There is power in the Word of God. It is living and active, as well as being comforting and applicable. I believe that it is important that a person memorizes scripture to be used in times of need.
Refocus — Paul tells the Philippian church to dwell on the things that are good. It takes a great deal of effort to change focus, yet it is an exercise that is worth every bit of the effort.

As I have helped many people find the Hope that is in Christ, these steps have been extremely helpful. I hope that you find them as helpful as I have.

The But Stops Here

January 8, 2014 By bwatson Leave a Comment

These are some excellent thoughts from a blogger I follow. I pray you are challenged as I was by reading this.

The But Stops Here.

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